Joint press release with the KfW Banking Group
Today the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) and KfW Banking Group are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the BMU’s Environmental Innovation Programme. The Programme supports pilot projects applying state-of-the-art technologies in Germany on a large scale. Around 700 million euros have been provided for more than 700 pilot projects since the start of the Programme. "We have to meet environmental policy challenges by fostering new industrial structures, sustainable lifestyles and technical innovation. This is why we support courageous companies that are breaking new ground with their technologies. We provide funding to reduce the economic risk associated with the implementation of new, environmentally sound processes," said Ursula Heinen-Esser, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry.
"The Environmental Innovation Programme plays a key role in the KfW Banking Group’s environmental support activities. The innovations we promote can be transferred to and copied by comparable enterprises and sectors, resulting in considerable relief of environmental pressures," commented Dr. Axel Nawrath, member of the board of the KfW Banking Group.
The Environmental Innovation Programme was launched in 1979. At the time, the aim was to achieve "blue skies over the Ruhr". This has long become a reality. At the beginning, the focus of support was on end-of-pipe cleaning technologies, such as air filters and waste water treatment facilities. Today, this focus has shifted to integrated environmental protection measures and activities in the areas of renewable energies and energy efficiency. These projects will improve the environmental situation, contribute to achieving the German Government’s climate protection goals, offer insights for updating environmental legislation and give fresh impetus to economic and employment policies.
Representatives from the Federal Environment Ministry, the Federal Environment Agency and the KfW Banking Group, and experts from the business community and efficiency agencies of the Länder are meeting in Berlin today. In a workshop on innovation as a driver of growth they will discuss how the success story of the Environmental Innovation Programme can be continued.